The neighbour of a woman who was mauled to death by her two XL Bully dogs at her East London home had warned her children about the dangerous breed and told them not to go near them, it has emerged.
The dogs' owner, a woman in her 50s, had been viciously attacked by the hounds - and though police, paramedics and the air ambulance were dispatched, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Metropolitan Police said it sent armed officers to the address in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, because of the threat posed by the two dogs.
The dogs were then seized by police and were found to have been registered XL Bully dogs - a breed banned by the Government at the start of February this year.
The XL Bully dog owner was pronounced dead at the scene at her home on Cornwall Close, Hornchurch
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The victim's neighbours said they had seen paramedics administering CPR to the stricken woman in her garden after the "shocking" incident.
One woman, who asked not to be named, said: "I came out of the house and looked to see what had happened. We hadn't heard anything but saw a helicopter overhead and loads of police.
"I stood by the road and saw a paramedic administering CPR. That poor woman... It's shocking."
While another said she had told her children in the past about being around the XL Bully dogs, adding: "I said, 'Don't ever touch those dogs... They're dangerous.'"
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Restrictions were imposed on XL Bully dogs earlier this year following a spate of fatal incidents
Burnley Borough Council
Another neighbour said: "The dogs weren't killed, they've taken them away... There's been vans back and forth non-stop since lunchtime and we saw the helicopter come over and you assume the worst.
"Campion [school] isn't far from here, so you panic it's kids or something - you never think a dog is going to do that. It's awful!" she added, speaking to the Mirror.
Police confirmed the dogs had been contained in a room at the house before officers turned up.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "These were registered XL Bully dogs. The family of the woman, who was the owner of the dogs, are being supported by officers."
Restrictions were imposed on XL Bully dogs earlier this year following a spate of fatal incidents across the country.
Since February 1, it has been an offence to sell, abandon, give away, breed, or walk an unleashed and unmuzzled XL Bully dog in England and Wales, with Scotland imposing the same legislation on February 23.
Nearly 40,000 XL Bully dogs are thought to still be on Britain’s streets despite a ban on the breed being introduced - according to the banned breeds register, some 38,424 dogs were granted the £92 exemption to avoid being put down.
Estimates suggest there have been over 25 deaths linked to the breed since 2021.